Motorola Droid 2

External antenna jack on Droid 2 ?

Time for an upgrade in a month, so I'm starting to educate myself on the Droid 2. In the phone search area, I used as one of my criteria an external antenna connection, as I visit the NC mountains monthly and am presently able to use that feature with my old Voyager and for data with a Pantech UM 175 aircard. Anyway, the Droid is listed as having the antenna jack, and I was hoping the Droid 2 did as well, but cannot find comfirmation. Can anyone help ?

Neither the Motorola Droid nor Droid 2 have an external antenna jack. On a droid, there is a service port, but it is not intended to serve as an antenna jack. On a 3g phone, there is little to be gained from an external antenna. See https://supportforums.motorola.com/message/50 465#50465

So the jack that is found by removing the battery cover is not what I am talking about ? I guess I am also confused how providing an enhanced signal to a phone, 3G or whatever is not advantageous. What is the purpose of the service jack ? Lastly, the link you were nice enough to provide does not work, but thanks nonetheless.

It wouldn't make sense to provide a user accessible antenna port that would only work with the battery cover removed. The link was to a thread that had a message from a Motorola support rep confirming that the port you reference is a service port for tech services to connect to diagnostics.

As to the utility of an antenna jack, this is simply about the physics. The frequencies over which current 3g phone services run are short wavelength and aren't enhanced with external whip antennas. If they were, manufacturers would provide them.

As to the utility of an antenna jack, this is simply about the physics. The frequencies over which current 3g phone services run are short wavelength and aren't enhanced with external whip antennas. If they were, manufacturers would provide them.

Clearly, you don't understand the physics, then.

If you get an antenna designed to work at the frequencies involved, getting the antenna away further away from physical objects (like the human body) that can block those high frequencies is always beneficial.

Also, if you are using it inside your car, truck, rv, etc, you are inside a giant metal box with a few holes in it. The metal parts will keep the signal from efficiently getting out. If ...(continues)

I'm talking about external whip antennas on the handset itself. The physics are that they are the wrong length and wouldn't help reception.

Sure, you could stick an antenna up on your roof, run coax and plug it into your phone. Thus making your phone no longer mobile. The droid jack is a service port, not an antenna port. According to the engineers at Motorola it is only for testing during manufacturing. It has limited number of insertions and will fail quickly if used for an external antenna port. It would be a stupid place to put an antenna jack. Any apparent benefit is due to induction.